REVIEW: Toshiba's Funky New Tablet/Laptop Windows 8 Hybrid

Brit Larson for Business Insider Toshiba's new flagship laptop for Windows 8 is the U925t Satellite.

When you first pick it up though, it feels like a super thick and heavy tablet.

That is until you slide the device's face away from you and pull the screen forward, giving it the look of a more traditional laptop.

The Satellite is just one of many unique designs coming out this year due to the nature of Windows 8's touchscreen interface.

Keep reading to see how Toshiba's first attempt plays out.

Design

Brit Larson for Business Insider The Satellite weighs in at 3.4 pounds. While that might not seem like a lot, somehow this machine feels way too heavy. Single-handed usage in tablet mode is a chore and almost impossible.

While most laptops have a lid to protect the precious screen, the strange design of the Satellite leaves the screen exposed, so if you don't want nicks and scratches, you'll need to get some sort of pouch or bag to keep the convertible protected.

With the keyboard out, typing wasn't as precise as I wanted it to be.

The bottom of the device is covered in a rubber material that helps the Toshiba to stay put on surfaces or your lap. The feel isn't bad, but it doesn't look as nice as an aluminum or metal-backed laptop.

But regardless of whether you think the form factor is functional or not, the device still turns heads. The Satellite has such a drastically different design that whenever I would pull it out and slide the keyboard from beneath the screen, it would always attracted some attention.

Software

I wanted to like Windows 8. After watching Microsoft demo the software in person last month, I was really excited about how it worked and the possibilities it opened up in terms of productivity and entertainment.

But Windows 8 isn't all the way there for me yet. After using it on my own, I realized that the mix of the new Start menu style and traditional desktop can be confusing.

The experience is further hampered by Toshiba's touchscreen, which isn't as accurate as the one found on the Surface.

One thing I do enjoy about Windows 8 is the ability to multi-task. I really like being able to maximize screen real estate and combine the apps with the traditional desktop or other apps.

But when launching apps, the software would lag or act very strangely, taking several seconds to load and sometimes freezing to a white screen. I would then have to push the Windows button on the keyboard to get out.

Although, performance-wise, when running multiple apps at once or having a lot of tabs open, the fans never turned on and the Satellite never got noticeably hot.

Specs

Brit Larson for Business Insider The Toshiba Satellite U925t has a a 12.5-inch touch screen which pushes out a resolution of 1,366x768 pixels.

There is a front-facing camera for video chatting, which is standard nowadays, but I'm confused by the rear-facing camera. It doesn't feel right to have one of those on a laptop.

Under the hood there is an Intel 3rd Generation 2.6 GHz Core i5 processor, a 128GB solid state hard drive, Intel HD graphics 4000, 4GB of RAM, and stereo speakers.

Ports include two USB 3.0 ports, one full size- HDMI port, an SD card slot, and a combo headphone/microphone jack. You also get standard Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity.

Should You Buy It?

Toshiba's U925t Satellite laptop retails for $1,149.99 from Amazon, but other retailers may have varying prices.

While the laptop certainly looks new and interesting, I don't really know how economic it is. There are plenty of functional Windows 8 touchscreen laptops out there that retail for less and offer more functionality.